MTV moves up awards show to avoid Obama conflict

NEW YORK -- MTV has moved up the start of its annual Video Music Awards so its fans won't have to choose between pop stars and President Barack Obama.

The show is airing Thursday, the night Obama accepts the Democratic nomination for another term as president. But MTV says it's running the show an hour earlier than it usually does to not conflict with Obama's speech.

The show will run from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern time. The president is scheduled to speak after 10 p.m.

The video awards are a considerable draw for young viewers and usually run around Labor Day. Last year's show was seen by 12.4 million people, more than anything on the broadcast networks that week and likely MTV's largest audience ever.